THE ANESTHETIZED ORAL EXAM

Pet dental patients must have general anesthesia in order to have a comprehensive oral exam. Without anesthesia we would not be able to assess:

the degree of plaque and calculus (tartar) accumulation

if missing teeth are embedded or unerupted

if extra teeth are significantly impacting occlusion and/or the other teeth around them

if worn, chipped or broken teeth are still alive or not

if teeth are loose and, if so, to what degree and why

the extent of oral tumors or ulcerations

Dental disease can often be accurately compared to an iceberg: most of it is hidden from view. Without general anesthesia we cannot do periodontal probing or take dental x-rays, which are our primary means of finding and evaluating the hidden part.